Klopp’s legacy means the Liverpool job is alluring, not daunting

Anfield club were struggling to attract best managers before Klopp’s arrival, but he has made it one of most coveted roles in game again

On the day he joined Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp considered it the start of the next chapter of his career and life; not the final one.
On the day he formally delivers his final celebratory fist pump and waves goodbye to the Kop, his club will be grateful that although he will not be around to write future scripts, the story for his rebuilt Liverpool team has barely begun.
Nothing – not even the imminent exit of a legendary coach – has felt like the beginning of the end at Anfield this season. There will be a change on the sideline, but it feels like this era has much further to run where it matters most: on the pitch.
Whoever is lucky enough to follow Klopp will find a stable club and a supremely talented, Champions League-ready team unrecognisable to that who he took over eight-and-a-half years ago. No matter how many trophies the latest quadruple bid yields, that will be one of Klopp’s greatest and proudest accomplishments.
Unlike when Sir Kenny Dalglish quit in 1991 — or when numerous the managers who followed him with mixed outcomes before Klopp’s arrival — the Anfield foundation stones are in place.
Klopp’s legacy was imprinted on Sunday’s routine victory over Norwich City.
It was there in the mesmerising one-touch passing that consistently carved through a championship defence as savagely as it has those in the Premier League.
It was there in the evolution of Darwin Núñez, who has added touches of elegance to accompany the chaos.
It was there in an Anfield audience that has become accustomed to victory being part of the price of the match ticket, with Klopp rarely tasting home defeats in front of a crowd since joining in 2015.
It was there in the return of those pillars of his first great team – Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson – whose cameos will make the side even stronger for the title run-in.
And it was there in the effervescence of youngsters such as James McConnell and Conor Bradley, the kind of academy graduates he has never shied of blooding. The Northern Irishman Bradley looks a gem, making it easier for Klopp’s successor to continue Alexander-Arnold’s reinvention as a central midfielder.
Such long-term planning is what makes the comparisons between Klopp and Bill Shankly so valid. Klopp will not be handing the reins to his right-hand man like the Godfather of Anfield in the mid-1970s, but he will bequeath an inheritance just as robust and exciting.
Where Klopp had to find the players to skillfully hunt and balance the ball, his successor’s first task will be to ensure he does not drop it.
With some validity, many are pointing out this summer could be a tricky time for Liverpool to seek a new manager. That may be so if other elite clubs are in the market for the same, obvious – some might say only – realistic candidates Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi.
But this is not 2010 or 2012 when Liverpool could not make the most coveted coaches crave the job.
Before Klopp re-established the club’s stature, the name of Liverpool was more attractive than the reality of being Liverpool manager.
Not today.
The Anfield brochure is among the most attractive in world football again. The next man in charge need only apply some decorative, personal touches upon his arrival to earn themselves time to make their own kind of music.
The same cannot be said of those other failing institutions who will require a full-blooded revolution rather than a seamless transition.
Klopp will hand over a young squad who can compete on four fronts, rather than an ageing one in need of an overhaul. That is a key reason behind him believing now the time is right to go, showing empathy for his successor as he knows how much more energy is expended starting from scratch.
For now, the grand farewell is on hold. The latest FA Cup victory was the kind of ‘business as usual’ performance that Klopp wanted as he tried to keep his emotions in check when serenaded by the Kop against his wishes during the game, and with more acceptance and heartfelt thanks at full time.
Whoever comes next is bound to be in Klopp’s considerable shadow at first, just as those who followed Shankly and Dalglish.
But they will be grateful to him for ensuring that on and off the field, the Liverpool job is more alluring than daunting.